Chinese PV Industry Brief: More wafer and polysilicon capacity and new suppy deals

Shanghai-listed PV manufacturer and solar cell automation equipment maker Wuxi Autowell yesterday announced it will provide Chinese panel maker JA Solar with production equipment for a 3.5 GW factory the latter is building in Vietnam. The order includes high-speed, multi-busbar cell soldering stringer and PV cell laser cutting machinery, with an estimated value of RMB80 million (US$12.5 million). The equipment will be delivered from April.

Gaojing Technology has begun construction of its 50 GW wafer factory in Zhuhai City, Guangdong province. The fab will produce 210mm mono-type wafers and will be built in three phases. The first, 15 GW section is expected to be complete by September and a second 15 GW phase is scheduled for completion in 2022. The final, 20 GW portion should be finalized in 2023.

Monocrystalline module provider Longi has secured a 500 MW solar panel supply deal with U.S. solar developer Strata Solar. The panels will be shipped over the next two years. The financial details of the supply agreement were not disclosed.

Monocrystalline wafer manufacturer Wuxi Shangji Automation announced on Thursday its wholly-owned subsidiary Baotou Hongyuan has signed a long-term supply agreement with Chinese solar cell maker Tongwei. Under the terms of the agreement, Baotou Hongyuan will supply more than 270 million monocrystalline wafers this year to Tongwei subsidiaries, on a monthly pricing basis. The estimated value of the supply contract is around RMB1.3 billion (US$204 million). The deal is the second long-term contract signed by Shangji Automation in the last two weeks, following an arrangement with Chint.

There was a more positive update on trading from polysilicon manufacturer GCL-Poly yesterday. The Hong Kong-listed company said it will officially raise the annual production capacity at its Jiangsu Zhongneng Polysilicon Technology Development Co Ltd unit from 6,000 to 10,000 metric tons from tomorrow. The company went into cross-default on Saturday after the non-payment of US$500 million of three-year senior notes and the unpaid creditors have until Monday to sign up to a reorganization of debts at GCL.

Battery manufacturer Ganfeng Lithium on Friday upgraded its expectations for 2020. The company had stated it expected to post RMB400-500 million (US$61.9-77.4 million) more net profit for shareholders than the figure banked in 2019 but that number has now risen to an estimated RMB910 million-1.07 billion. The company said the increase was down to rising lithium salt production volumes and sales figures – even as average selling prices fell last year – plus a “significant” rise in the fair value of assets including Ganfeng’s offtake agreements from Australia’s Pilbarra lithium mine. Ganfeng added, the latest figure is still based on unaudited accounts.